


If I Ever Catch Ya Givin' Up...

by Ricksbowlegs



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Daryl's PoV, First Kiss, First Time, Idiots in Love, Implied Sexual Content, Insecure Daryl, Insecure Rick, M/M, Pre-Season/Series 04, Rick's POV, Run gone wrong, Upset Daryl, mentions of spanking, prison era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-08-12 12:07:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7934038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ricksbowlegs/pseuds/Ricksbowlegs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Rick has a close call, Daryl is a bit upset about it. But sometimes, good things can come out of bad situations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> New fic! Yay! Hope you like it. 
> 
> Unbeta'd like always. Please, forgive the mistakes.

“A’right? Cover me,” Daryl gruffed. Rick nodded, although it was quite a dumb thing to do given it was pitch dark and Daryl had his back to him as he worked the door open with a knife. It didn’t matter, though. He didn’t really need confirmation. 

Daryl twisted the door handle one more time and the door opened. Rick lifted his gun up to eye level; his vision poor and compromised by the rain so he had to squint to see anything at all, forced to rely mostly on his hearing. He ventured inside the house in the opposite direction Daryl did. He didn’t see or hear anything, but Daryl did. He always did.

Hearing a small commotion behind him, Rick turned around swiftly with his gun held up. Daryl was catching his breath and a walker lay dead by his feet.

“I didn’t even hear that,” he said dumbly. Daryl just glared at him, and glared hard. Rick pressed his lips into a thin line and down casted his eyes. 

_So he was still mad_.

“You continue to clear down here and I clear upstairs,” he instructed, trying to keep focus on the important matter at hand, which at the moment was finding refugee for the night, since going back to the prison during a rainstorm with no vehicle or flashlights and dangerously low on ammo would be risking it too much and they’d already done that enough today.

“Like hell ya won’t,” Daryl gruffed in response.

Rick turned to face him with confusion. “Well, then… _you_ clear upstairs—”

“Ya ain’t clearin’ shit,” the archer hissed, cutting him short. 

“I’m gonna help you,” he said with intent, cocking his head to the side. 

“Jus’ stay close behind me n’ try t’ cover ma’ back,” the hunter said curtly, leaving no room for argument. So Rick just nodded and holding up his gun, he began following Daryl as he cleared the rooms one by one. The task took them only a few minutes. It wasn’t a big house and it was, in fact, empty aside from the sole walker downstairs. 

“Gimme a hand with this,” Daryl huffed in one of the bedrooms downstairs— the last room they needed to clear, and the master bedroom by the looks of it— motioning for the mattress on the bed. It was a big mattress, king sized, so they took it out into the living room together. 

“Move that thing outta tha way,” Daryl gruffed, indicating toward the coffee table with his foot.

Rick let go of the mattress and moved over to push the table aside so Daryl could drop the heavy thing in there, in the middle of the three fancy couches. They could’ve perfectly used those to sleep in, but he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to sleep on a comfortable mattress for once. Daryl neither, apparently.

After that, Rick went back to the bedroom to fetch one of the blankets and comforter they’d thrown on the floor while taking out the mattress, taking them back to the living room after giving them a shake. 

“Brought some blankets,” he informed, holding out one end of the fluffy comforter for the older man to take so they could lay it out evenly on top of the mattress. Daryl merely grunted in acknowledgement and violently snatched it from his hands.

“Okay, Daryl, that’s enough,” he huffed, placing both his hands on his hips after dropping the other blanket on the makeshift bed. “Why are you so mad at me? It was an accident.”

Sure Daryl wasn’t blaming him for the rotten wooden floor giving out underneath him in that old café they were scavenging.

“Know it was,” Daryl scoffed, shrugging up his shoulder. “Was there, ya know?”

“Then why—”

“Saw tha look ya gave me.”

His frown deepened. “What look?”

“Ya know,” Daryl muttered quietly, tilting his head slightly.

“No, I don’t,” he sighed, arching his eyebrows. He really didn’t remember giving Daryl any look in particular other than panicked as he struggled to stay afloat on that flooded basement while at least five walkers tried to gnaw at him. 

“Like ya was ready t’ give up,” Daryl mumbled, looking down at his feet; his damp bangs covering his face. “Seemed like ya were sayin’ goodbye.”

Rick stood there for a moment, looking at Daryl as if he’d grown a second head. He’d dropped his gun on the fall and while floating, he couldn’t find the leverage to effectively stick his knife on their heads. If he’d given any particular look to the archer it was a silent plea for help. Had the thought of getting bitten crossed his mind in that moment? Of course… _but giving up?_

“I can assure you, Daryl, I wasn’t giving up. I was just…scared,” he admitted. “I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.”

Daryl nipped at his bottom lip as he looked at him through his locks, studying him for a moment, probably looking for any sign of a lie. “Good,” he said finally, “’cuz I don’ wanna h’ve t’ haul yer dead ass back t’ the prison so yer son can see a body t’ grieve ya properly.”

Rick chuckled at that, although he probably shouldn’t have. It wasn’t funny at all, but Daryl joined him thankfully. “I promise you won’t have to do that,” he said meaningfully in spite the mirth in his tone and tilted his head to search for the archer’s gaze. “Can you promise me the same?”

Daryl nodded. “I can do that.”

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, or at least he thought the archer was staring at him. He couldn’t really tell. It was so dark. But then a tiny smirk grazed the those thin lips as he gripped two ends of the comforter he’d just snatched from his hands, laying it out evenly for both. 

“Don’ wantcha t’ freeze yer skinny ass,” the older man grunted.

Rick pouted at the skinny ass remark. But yeah, he had a skinny ass, although the thought of Daryl noticing made him blush. Good thing it was dark. 

“Maybe we should get these clothes off. We’re drenched,” he supplied, straying the conversation from his ass. 

“Pro’ly,” the hunter shrugged.

Rick nodded and turned to the opposite side to give Daryl and himself some privacy and started taking off his wet jacket. He then peeled the plastered shirt off his cold, damp skin, doing the same with his boots and jeans, stripping himself down to only his underwear and hanging his wet clothes on the back of two chairs. 

He made for the mattress keeping his eyes on the floor, not daring to peek at Daryl even once for fear of making it awkward, quickly lying down under the comforter and covering himself completely with it, which was awfully ridiculous since he’d showered among other men uncountable times in his lifetime and never had he felt as self-conscious about being naked in the same room as another man as he felt now. When he dared to steal a brief glance Daryl’s way, he noticed the hunter hadn’t shed off any garment and was just sitting there on the mattress with his back against one of the couches, looking at him intently. 

“Somethin’ wrong?” he asked, inadvertently pulling the comforter up to his chin.

Daryl shook his head. 

“Why you lookin’ at me like that, then?”

“Thought tha’ was it, ya know?” Daryl admitted; the words rolling out of his tongue as if they weighed him, and with such tightness in his throat the thought crossed Rick’s mind that the usually stoic man might’ve been holding back from crying. Rick didn’t know how to respond, so he just nodded awkwardly. “Shit, I even saw m’self goin’ back on ma’ own … tellin’ yer kid.”

“Hey,” Rick said, sitting up and edging closer to Daryl, placing a comforting hand on the man’s knee. “It wasn’t it. I’m here.” 

When Daryl sniffed, Rick felt the overwhelming need to hug him— let him know he was there and alive. 

“Thought I’d failed ya.” The voice came out strained and broken.

His brows furrowed at that and moved even closer, so that he was in front of the archer, searching for his evasive eyes. “You’ve never failed me, Daryl. You got me outta there. It’s because of you I’m still here… why I’ll get to come back to my son and daughter.”

“Merle,” Daryl sniffed, not meeting his eyes, “he, uh, never was the best older brother. Never protected me as he shoulda, never stood out fer me.”

Rick listened intently. This was the first time since Merle’s death that Daryl talked about him to him.

“So I made a promise t’ ma’self I’d be the big brother fer ya that Merle never was fer me.” Rick couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at his lips at that confession. “But I ain’t yer brother.” Hesitating at that last part, Rick shook his head, not sure what Daryl was trying to tell him.

All of a sudden, arms were tugging him forward and a mouth pressed against his. Rick was startled for just a few seconds before what was happening clicked and he started kissing back just as fervently, wrapping his arms around Daryl’s muscular back and holding him close with desperate need. His stomach twisting with excitement at this new, unexpected development that forced him to face the feelings he’d been keeping at bay for so long. He wanted Daryl. Heck, he probably loved the hunter, if the immense happiness he felt was anything to go by.

Their lips and tongues rubbed against each other in a messy kiss as they tasted and explored each other’s mouths. Rick’s hands, impatient for something he couldn’t quite understand, started tugging at the older man’s clothes while Daryl’s hands roamed all over his naked back, pulling him closer.

At some point, Daryl moved away and Rick followed his mouth, mewling a pathetic _please,_ at having what he’d longed for so long being snatched away from him so quickly.

“Just gonna take ma’ clothes off,” Daryl huffed; his voice thick and rough with want, so very different from a few moments ago.

So he licked his wet lips and nodded, breathing heavily as he sat back on his hunches, giving the older man room to undress. Daryl’s dark eyes were locked with his as he discarded every garment and Rick cursed the darkness for not being able to feast upon the naked flesh of his powerful hunter properly. 

“A’righ, c’mere,” Daryl huffed suddenly and he all but threw himself—mouth first— against the archer’s neck where he started kissing and mouthing at the warm, salty skin, grunting against it as the archer’s big hands grabbed both his ass cheeks, massaging them gently.

“Daryl,” he moaned against the hunter’s neck, parting for a moment to look into those cobalt blue orbs while breathing against the hot mouth.

“Yer ass ain’t as skinny as I thought,” Daryl teased suddenly, giving his ass cheeks a tiny squeeze, making him moan loudly and chuckle between pants.

“Fuck, Daryl—I want—” he panted incoherently. “I—“

“What?” Daryl asked with interest, wrapping his hands around his waist to pull him closer. “What d’ya want, Rick?”

Truth was Rick didn’t know what that was exactly, so he uttered the first word he could think off. _“More.”_


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was it. Hope you guys enjoyed! :D
> 
> Again, sorry for the mistakes.

Daryl not being beside him was the first thing Rick noticed as he woke up. 

Sitting up carefully, he winced softly as the pain in his backside made itself noticed, so he let himself fall on his back with a hand covering his eyes as he sighed. The memories from the night before flooded him, not giving him time to digest them properly so a tight knot formed in his stomach as he recalled them kissing for the very first time, eager hands and mouths exploring naked flesh; him desperate for more… _more_. God, that more had been so different from everything he’d ever experienced and yet so very familiar. But even with all that, he couldn’t help but doubt. 

What if they’d ruined what they had? Maybe Daryl not being beside him was a bad sign.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, Rick sluggishly climbed out of their makeshift bed, going for his still damp clothes and hurrying into them, throwing his stained underwear into one of the corners of the living room, longingly looking at them as he remembered Daryl’s gentle hands wiping his release from the most intimate part of his body with it with almost excessive care.

Detaching his gaze from the discarded underwear, Rick noticed that none of Daryl’s belongings were laying about or any sign of him ever being there in the first place and Rick wondered with a heavy heart if the archer had regretted what they’d done so much that he’d left him to go back to the prison on his own. 

_No,_ he thought immediately. _Not possible._. Daryl would never leave him like that. Right?

Noise coming from outside made him hurry up his pace. Putting on his jacket, Rick made for the door, counting in his head from three to one before bursting out, holding his gun up. Daryl just looked at him and snorted; cigarette loosely hanging between his lips as he worked on a beat up blue compact.

“You found us a ride already?” he asked with surprise and mildly veiled relief, although he knew he shouldn’t be. Of course Daryl had found them a ride and of course he wouldn’t have left him,

“Kinda found me,” Daryl told him as he wiped the grease from his fingers with his red rag. “Was out the back.”

“Does it run?” Rick asked, stepping closer to the archer while inadvertently letting his gaze rest on those strong hands as they picked up the replaced battery; letting it travel up Daryl’s strong forearms and up to his flexed, bulged biceps; the same arms that’d held him impossibly close the night before.

“t’ does now,” Daryl gruffed, bringing Rick back to the now and forcing him to duck his head to hide a creeping blush as he walked past him to store the battery on the backseat. “So get in ‘cuz we goin’ back right now,” Daryl said after closing the door. 

“We should go back for the supplies we dropped back there,” Rick suggested, referring to the ones they’d been forced to leave in the car that broke down on them when they got swarmed by walkers. 

Daryl shook his head. “We ain’t riskin’ it again.”

“We can’t go back empty handed,” Rick griped, furrowing his brow. “Not after all we went through.”

Daryl considered it for a moment then shook his head again. “I’ll come back fer them later.”

“Daryl, it’s just a few miles back,” Rick said, trying to sound reassuring, though it hadn’t seemed just a few miles last night as they ran for their lives away from that herd under the heavy rain. At least the rain had stopped.

“Fine,” Daryl gruffed, clearly reluctant to give in. “But we’ll watch from a distance. If there’s any walker loomin’ ‘bout we head right back.”

Rick sighed. Daryl must’ve really feared for his life if he was acting so apprehensive. He had to hide a smile as he nodded. “We’ll turn back if there’s any risk.”

“Goin’ back is risk enough,” Daryl scoffed, getting in the car behind the wheel. Rick just rolled his eyes and got in the passenger seat. 

It was in fact a very short distance and no walker loomed about, so they picked up what supplies they’d be able to gather and headed back home.

The ride was uneventful and quiet…very quiet. They had yet to mention what they’d done last night and Rick was starting to fear it’d been a onetime thing they’d never address again.

After much considering, he was about to say something, but Daryl brought his hand up to his chin to thread his fingers through his beard. Rick’s eyes followed the movement as if in a trance, fixing his gaze on those skilled, thick fingers that just the night before had touched him where he’d never been touched before while breaching him open. Daryl turned to face him suddenly and Rick quickly jerked his head to look back at the road ahead.

“Ya ‘kay?” the archer asked.

“Fine,” he said shortly, not daring to meet the hunter’s inquisitive eyes. 

They were almost home and Daryl still refused to acknowledge what’d happened between them. But maybe that’s what he wanted, for it to never be spoken about and eventually be forgotten. And Rick would indulge him if that’s what he wanted, as long as it didn’t affect their friendship.

As soon as they made it back, Carol, Sasha and Carl greeted them, opening the gates for them.

Carl was on him as soon as he stepped out of the car, wrapping his thin arms around his waist. “I knew you’d be back.”

“What happened to you two?” Carol said, fussing over the both of them.

“Yeah, you were supposed to come back yesterday,” Sasha said with worry in her tone although mixed with relief.

“Long story,” he said with a tiny smile, shifting his eyes toward Daryl. The archer was staring at him and immediately broke eye contact as he was caught looking.

“Yeah, nothin’ worth tellin’ ‘bout,” he grunted. Rick flicked his eyes to find Daryl’s evasive ones at that, hurt by the dismissive way the archer had said that. Was it really nothing worth talking about?

He lost sight of Daryl after that, probably gone off to talk to Zack or Beth or one of the many people from Woodbury who admired him. Rick didn’t mind of course. He was quite proud of Daryl for letting himself be who he was always meant to be. People cared about him; looked up at him and trusted him to keep them safe— A leader in his own right. But sometimes, he found himself wishing he had more time alone with Daryl, but every time he approached him, there was always someone there before him. 

It was by the end of the day when he finally caught up to him. Well, Daryl caught up with him, quietly making his appearance in the bathroom while Rick brushed his teeth.

He startled a bit when he spotted him leaning by the door with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at him in silence. 

“Daryl,” he said after spitting out, drying his mouth with the back of his hand. “Didn’t see you there.”

Daryl shrugged, shifting his weight to his feet as he stepped closer. “Just got here.”

“Right,” Rick nodded. 

The archer just stood there, staring at him, challenging him to say something, so he did.

“Daryl—” he said after that heavy pause, keeping his hand lifted between them as if trying to contain any words that might upset the archer. “What happened last night—we don’t need to talk about that. We can pretend it never happened.”

Daryl nipped on his lower lip as he studied him. He shifted awkwardly on his feet. “That whatcha want?” he asked just as Rick was about to speak again.

The question and the hurt tone Daryl used caught him off guard, so he just stood there with his mouth hanging open. 

“Well?” Daryl gruffed after a too long silence.

Rick licked his lips and took a deep breath. “I thought that’s what you wanted.”

“What made ya think that?” the archer asked softly.

He arched his eyebrows and scoffed. “Well…you’ve been avoiding me all day.”

Daryl shook his head. “I ain’t avoidin’ ya.”

“Now you’re not,” Rick said mater-of-factly.

“I just—didn’t want ya t’ regret it,” Daryl shrugged. “Thought I’d give ya sum’ space.”

Rick smiled and shook his head. So they’d both being scared of the same. But Daryl should’ve said something…or him.

“I feared the same from you,” he confessed dumbly. Daryl snorted. “I don’t, by the way,” he said quickly, “regret it. I couldn’t.”

“Me neither,” the hunter said and stepped closer still. “Hell, I wanted it t’ happen fer a while…just didn’ know you’d want it.”

“Daryl, I did,” Rick said with a long suffering sigh, dropping his forehead against the archer’s chest and gripping his leather vest as he pulled himself closer. “I’ve wanted it for so long.”

Daryl put a finger under his chin and lifted his head to make him meet his eyes. “Ya shoulda said somethin’.”

Rick didn’t answer, he just looked into those dark blue pools for a few seconds, shifting his eyes from Daryl’s to his mouth from time to time before slowly edging closer until their mouths met. The hunter didn’t pull back or push him away; instead, arms circled around his waist to pull him closer, opening his mouth and sticking his tongue out to deepen their kiss. 

Rick slid his hands from Daryl’s chest up to his neck, circling his arms around it as he opened his mouth further to welcome the exploring tongue of his lover; recalling from the way Daryl’s hands gripped his waist in an almost desperate manner how the archer had held him the night before while whispering distressed words against his ear, making him promise over and over again to never give up as he sunk his thick girth into him. 

Rick could still feel it inside him. 

“Daryl,” he panted between kisses, burying his fingers in the archer’s soft locks. “I’m sorry.”

Daryl broke the kiss and pulled back at that, fixing him with a confused look. “Fer what?”

“For scaring you,” he said bashfully.

A shadow crossed across the hunter’s eyes at that, but he soon shook his head and cupped his face with both hands. “Don’t wantcha t’ apologize. Just wantcha t’ stay safe.”

Rick smiled. “I’ll do my best,” he promised and eagerly leaned forward to kiss that delicious mouth again, but Daryl’s hands each side of his face stopped him. He pouted and groaned in complaint, but let himself be kept at bay from his goal.

“If I ever catch ya givin’ up, tho…” Daryl said sternly, but his tone changed into a mock threat as he continued “…I’mma h’ve t’ pull ya over ma’ lap an’ spank that skinny ass of yers.”

Daryl spanking him? _Shit._ that sole idea had his dick twitching.

He chuckled. “If you don’t want me t’ do that, you’re gonna have to promise me a punishment that doesn’t sound so appealing.”

Daryl smirked. “Well, I’mma spank ya hard.”

“You’re making it worse,” Rick huffed, closing his eyes as the images flooded him. He opened them when Daryl spoke again.

“Hey,” the archer said in a serious tone now, looking intently into his eyes. “I love ya, man.”

The confession was as powerful as any love confession ever was, but the way Daryl said it took away a lot of its pressure, so he smiled and found himself repeating it easily.

“I love you too,” Rick said, meaning every word.

***

That night they slept in Rick’s cell. They didn’t have sex, but the way they held each other was just as intimate.

Daryl ghosted his fingertips over Rick’s face as he slept, admiring its beauty, thanking once again to anyone who was listening for being able to hold him in his arms and feel his warmth again. 

It might’ve been one of the scariest moments of his life, but he was thankful for it in a way. It gave them both the kick in the ass they need to face their feelings for each other, those they’d tried to deny for so long. 

Taking a deep breath, Daryl tightened his hold around Rick’s waist and closed his eyes. 

Carol and Michonne would be thrilled to be right.


End file.
